


Give The Boy A Dog

by Thetolwrites



Category: Stranger Things (TV 2016)
Genre: All dogs are service dogs, Billy Hargrove Is Bad at Feelings, Billy Hargrove Needs a Hug, Child Abandonment, Dogs, Domestic, Domestic Fluff, Implied/Referenced Child Abuse, M/M, Mutual Pining, Past Child Abuse, Post-Season/Series 03, Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder - PTSD, Roommates, Service Dogs, Slow Burn
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-02-01
Updated: 2020-04-24
Packaged: 2021-02-25 06:49:29
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 7
Words: 13,052
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22491841
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Thetolwrites/pseuds/Thetolwrites
Summary: "Steve..." Billy laughs nervously, hands already itching to remove his blindfold. "What did you do?"Steve snorts and grins, quietly opening the door to the kennel so he could step out. "Don't worry! You're gonna love it I promise. Okay, go ahead and take it off!" He called as he sat with the big boy in his lap. Billy removed his blindfold, smiling. As he opened his eyes and took in the sight of the dog in front of him, his smile dropped from his face and he turned so white Steve worried he was going to faint.Billy has officially moved in with steve, sharing an apartment was surprisingly easy for the two but something was missing. Billy's birthday was coming up and Steve may be dumb, but he knows what Billy was hinting at when he said he misses having a dog. Or does he?
Relationships: Billy Hargrove/Steve Harrington
Comments: 28
Kudos: 203





	1. Memories Aren't Always Fond

**Author's Note:**

> Billy Hargrove heals with a dog who has been in a similar situation to him. Aka an excuse for me to give Billy Hargrove a cute ass pit bull to protect and love him so billy can learn to love again. And an excuse for me to vent about how important my dog has been for my PTSD. I'm really gonna try to write slow burn but its hard. Here we go!

Steve has no idea when he and Billy Hargrove began to like each other. Hell, he has no idea when they even started talking to one another without ripping the other’s head off. After Starcourt, with Billy being in the hospital for months and Steve wanting to be a good guy. He began to visit him in the hospital. Almost every day he’d come by, just to see how he was doing. He brought Billy books, food that wasn’t disgusting and bought him a CD Player so he could listen to his music. Even brought Max around when Susan wouldn’t let her come. 

Steve didn’t know what compelled him to be this nice, but he wanted Billy to be better. He spent a lot of his time thinking about him, worrying about him. He tried not to think about it too hard. Even as his chest began to warm every time billy laughed or how tense and upset, he got when Billy said he was in pain. He’s not gay. He’s just… worried about a friend. Despite Robin advocating for him being oblivious and bi. 

Eventually Billy could stand and walk again. By that time, Steve was looking for an apartment of his own. Billy, finding himself without a place to stay and a friendship blossoming between them, started helping him. The two began looking for apartments to share. 

They eventually found just what they were looking for. An apartment a town over, not too expensive, but not creepy or too badly dilapidated. A modest two-bedroom apartment, still close enough to Hawkins to drive to but far enough away that they didn’t have to stumble upon past classmates every day. The landlord was even nice. 

The day they moved in Robin had joked and nudged Steve in the side asking when the wedding was and demanding to be his maid of honor. Steve had blushed darkly shoving her onto their newly acquired and yet ancient couch. “Sh-shut up! It’s not like that and you know it. It’s just… cheaper.” 

“Sure, Harrington. You start paying your boyfriend more attention than our friendship and there will be hell to pay.” Steve had only groaned and rolled his eyes, leaving her to drag more boxes indoors. 

At first, living with Billy was… difficult. Everything Billy did was loud. He listened to loud music, took loud, long showers, snored loudly… masturbated loudly. Steve and Billy bickered a lot that the first month, almost to the point where Steve didn’t think it was going to work out, but one day Billy sat Steve down the couch. He got out a pen and paper, gruffly announcing, “Alright, Princess. We’re laying down some ground rules.” 

They spent a good hour going over rules for one another. Billy couldn’t play his music at full blast before 3 pm. Steve can’t take up the entire bathroom counter with his hair products. Billy can’t leave his shoes in the middle of the living room. Steve can’t use all the hot water when taking showers. They set up a chore routine and pegged the piece of paper up on the fridge as a reminder to both of them. 

Living together was simple after that. Steve and Billy began to pick up on each other’s quirks. Steve, surprisingly, really enjoyed living with Billy. He was, dare he say it, fun to be around. The two would pick at each other, watch movies on the couch and eat the food Billy cooked for them. 

Steve was worthless in the kitchen and Billy had noticed after watching Steve eat ramen for six nights in a row and almost burn down the apartment trying to bake a chicken. Billy took over cooking for the two after the chicken incident. 

With Steve still being unsure what he wanted to do for work and Billy having very limited options for school, they had found some minimum wage jobs. Steve working as a waiter at some hometown cafe and Billy finding some work in an auto body shop. 

It was one of the rare quiet nights the two had off work together. The two were laying on the freshly vacuumed living room floor, passing a joint back and forth between each other as they listened to some of Billy’s softer music. They were close to each other, almost touching, but not quite. Steve wondered, not for the first time, when they’d gotten so close. Another tipping point to their relationship that he’d been oblivious to. 

Somehow the conversation had drifted into them talking about past pets. Steve himself has had a few dogs in his lifetime. Even a sassy blonde alley cat once. Steve enjoyed having pets in his family. He felt that a home wasn’t a home without at least one little animal running around. It’d been a long time since he owned a dog. 

Steve took a long drag off of their blunt, blowing his smoke up toward the popcorn ceiling. He chuckled as he finished recalling the story of how his retriever named Lady had once done three somersaults and then continued to chase him, while they were playing in the snow. 

Even as Steve laughed, Billy didn’t seem amused beside him. Steve didn’t hear any of Billy’s deep-chested chuckles or his soft sweet laughter. Whenever he looked over at him, he almost gasped at how sad Billy’s eyes looked. His bright sky-blue eyes had turned dark and wet with sadness. Steve sat up to wrap an arm around his shoulder and lean into him. “What’s wrong?” He mumbled to him, his voice gentle and calm. 

Billy shrugs a little, takes a long hit from the blunt and leans his head on Steve’s shoulder. “I guess I just… really miss having a dog. My dog was cool. I just… miss him.” 

Steve nodded, understanding the feeling all too well. He says nothing else, just squeezes Billy’s shoulder and lets him lean on him. Billy hides his face against his shoulder, his body completely tense. Just as the silence was beginning to become suffocating, he began again. “I didn’t even want him at first. It was… My dad just kept insisting I get a dog. ‘Get the boy a dog. Teach him about responsibility.’ Yeah right.” He mumbles into the cotton of Steve’s shirt. 

Steve frowns. He’d heard a bit about Neil from both Billy and Max. He didn’t like how uncomfortable they got while speaking about him. Neither of them had spoken highly of the man and it didn’t take a genius to figure out that the Hargrove family had some issues. Steve was at a loss for words, not sure how to respond as the topic of Neil had never been brought up before. 

“My dad was a dick.” Billy finally manages to mumble after a few long minutes of silence. Steve nods into sandy blonde curls. “Yeah, I uh ... I assumed as much.”

As he tried to pull Billy into a more secure hug, he suddenly pulled away and stood up, looking out the window into the darkness outside and avoiding Steve’s gaze. “I’m going to shower and go to bed. I’ll see you in the morning.” 

Steve blinks up at him, unsure what he did to have made Billy retract from him so quickly. “Oh, um ... okay, goodnight.” 

Billy gives him a swift nod in response before quickly stalking off to his room, leaving a concerned and confused Steve in his wake.


	2. D Is For Dog

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Birthdays are a mixed bag. Steve tries his best to make Billy's 19th memorable.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This took longer then I thought it would.

While living with Billy was great, communicating with Billy still sucked. He didn’t threaten to punch Steve constantly anymore, but sometimes talking to him was like talking to a brick wall. A brick wall that Steve wanted to hug because Billy was not okay. 

Without the rage and false bravado to cover up his emotions, Billy found himself depressed and confused. Most days he felt like shit and barely wanted to get out of bed. It was odd because he was no longer in his father’s house. Hell, his father was dead, and yet he felt… awful. 

He felt guilty for surviving something many others didn’t. He felt guilty for being the cause of those needless, senseless deaths. He missed Heather and a year ago when he didn’t have to worry about alternate dimensions or monsters lurking in the dark. He missed when his only problems were his shitty dad and yeah, that sucked, but he was used to it. 

Billy didn’t try to cover up his depression, because he didn’t have a reason to hide it. He didn’t think anyone would notice or care. He wasn’t used to having friends that genuinely cared about him or his welfare. Friends that wanted him around for more than the worthless popularity he used to hide his insecurities. 

But Steve noticed. Steve cared. After Billy decided to lay in bed for an entire weekend instead of doing anything productive or even try to communicate with the outside world for a solid 48 hours. Steve refused to let Billy spend his last day off sulking. 

Around noon Billy found himself being awoken to Steve opening the curtains and sunlight glaring into his closed eyelids. He groans, pulling his pillow over his head. “Get out!” 

He sleepily growls, trying to summon the energy to throw something at Steve. 

Steve only rolls his eyes. “You’re such a drama queen. Get up. You’ve been in here for two days and it’s gross.” He says as he picks up a nearby hamper, scowling at the state of the room. “When was the last time you cleaned? It’s a pigsty in here.” 

“Fuck off Harrington I don’t need you to mother me,” Billy grumbles into his pillow refusing to budge. 

“Obviously you do. Get up. The entire apartment needs a good deep cleaning and it’ll make you feel better once it’s done.” Steve was insistent, forcing Bily to get up for his own good. 

The two spent the better half of three hours cleaning up their apartment. Afterward, they collapsed on the couch for some Golden Girls, which Steve loved and Billy didn’t completely hate. Steve moved to lean into Billy’s side. “So you feel better?” 

Billy shrugged, and Steve sighs, content with the answer for now. “So you want to cook or should I order take out again?” Billy looked up at the clock on their wall and shrugs again. “Take out if that’s alright?” 

Steve stands with a stretch, humming. “Fine by me. Pizza?” Billy lays himself out on the couch while mumbling “Sure. You know how I like it right?” 

“Half sausage, half pepperoni. I know.” The smile on Billy’s lips was genuine and small. It made Steve’s insides squirm and his face heat up. He hastened his pace to the kitchen to call the nearby pizza place. 

As they waited for the pizza to be delivered Steve found himself thinking back on the conversation they’d had a few weeks prior. He leans himself up against the freshly cleaned kitchen counter, uncapping a beer from their fridge as his thoughts begin to wander. He missed having a dog himself. The soft “click-clack” of claws on the wood floor, playing fetch in the park, big ole puppy dog eyes staring up at him as he eats food. As he began to reminisce, Billy settles up beside him on the counter, drinking a beer himself. “Earth to Stevie. You in there?” 

“Huh? Sorry, what d'you say?” Steve flushes as Billy chuckles at him. He nudges him playfully with his shoulder. Steve’s cheeks still dusted with pink as he tries not to smile. 

“What’s on your mind, pretty boy? Why are you so distracted?” Steve shrugs, humming softly as he looks out their kitchen window at the setting sun. “Oh, nothing. Just..what I should get you for your birthday. It’s next Tuesday right?” 

Billy scoffs and rolls his eyes. “I don’t want to know how you found that out and you’re not getting me anything.” Steve grins, leaning into Billy’s side. “How do you keep forgetting that your little sister is a friend of mine? And of course, I’m getting you something. You’re such a drama queen you’d probably mope about it for weeks.” He teases, cringing as Billy tenses. 

“Sorry… I uh. Wait, I didn’t mean for it to sound like that. God, I’m an idiot. I know you’re not moping Billy. I’m sorry.” Steve quickly tries to backtrack cursing himself as he looks at Billy’s pained eyes. “You’re fine, Harrington. You’re right. I should just.. get over it.” Steve bites his lip as he hears his last name spill from Billy’s lips. His last name, once the only thing Billy would use to refer to him with, is now only used when Steve majorly fucks up. 

Billy starts to slide off the counter, Steve reaches out quickly to take his wrist. “Billy. No. That’s not what I meant. You get to feel this, okay? What you’re feeling is normal. I’m sorry if it seemed like I was trying to take away from what you're feeling because I’m not I swear. I don’t know exactly what you’re going through but I’ve felt something like it before…” 

Billy had gone still, politely listening to him tell his story. Steve allows himself to take a deep breath, gently letting go of his wrist, instead he takes Billy’s palm between his hands and tracing the lines he finds there absentmindedly. “It was ... after the first time the stuff with the upside-down happened… and then the stuff with Nancy happened and I… I couldn’t get out of bed anymore. Everything was so fucking scary and bleak. I just. I could hardly find a reason to keep going. I couldn’t sleep or eat or… breathe. Everything just really. Sucked.”

Billy snorts softly, relaxing where they stood to lean into Steve as he traces his lifeline across his palm. “So. I… I understand a little. You know? I just… I really ca-” The doorbell jolts the two out of the moment they’d been suspended in. Billy quickly stepping away to get the pizza as Steve stews in his slight embarrassment. 

The conversation was quickly forgotten when Billy returned with pizza and the newest slasher flick he’d rented on his way home. 

… 

The decision to adopt a dog for Billy came on a whim. Steve had passed the humane society every day on his way home from work. He decided he would just pop in for a look. Just hang out with some dogs and maybe… just maybe he’d consider adopting one for Billy’s birthday. A mere six days away. 

That all changed the moment he laid eyes on Diesel. It was like the dog had “PROPERTY OF BILLY HARGROVE” stamped on his forehead. He was a big muscular Pitbull with the sweetest brown eyes Steve had ever seen. He was mostly black, but he had a few white markings on his chest and face. He looked like he’d been to the gym five hours a day for the last three years. Steve loved him immediately. 

The dog… was unsure of Steve at first. As Steve stepped into his cage for the first time Diesel in an attempt to look frightening, bared his teeth and growled deeply. The sound, as terrifying as it was, didn’t stop Steve from kneeling and speaking soft cooing words to the pup since Diesel’s entire body was shaking even as he tried to keep up his mean demeanor. 

Steve sat patiently with Diesel for fifteen minutes. He didn’t make any sudden movements or try to force him to come to him. He just sat and cooed at the big boy until eventually, he closed the distance between the two. One of the workers came by when Steve had Diesel in his lap rolling around and panting with his tongue hanging out. 

Steve wanted to adopt him that very day but decided against it. He wanted to build up some trust between the two of them first. The next day after work he arrived at the humane society again, waiting until Diesel got used to him again before he gave him all the love and affection he could. Before he left, he asked for Diesel’s information. He wanted to see what could have happened to the sweet baby to make him so scared of people. 

It was revealed that Diesel had been abused by his previous owner. The man tried to make Diesel into a guard dog by chaining up the dog in his front yard and beating him often. Diesel had been surrendered when the man had gone to jail. Steve's skin crawled as he heard the story being relayed to him by one of the caretakers. “That’s horrible.” He murmured as the woman shook her head. “I know. He’s really sweet if you just give him some time to adjust.” Steve nodded, now even more determined to bring the poor boy home.

Sure enough, on Tuesday afternoon he was signing the papers that signified Diesel as his own. Diesel was slightly unsure of the situation, hiding behind Steve’s leg as he got pet with Steve’s free hand. Steve paid the small fee for his adoption before going out to his car. As soon as they got outside Diesel relaxed, the tension in his body fading. He hopped into the car without Steve even having to utter a command. He let out a big deep sigh and rested his head on Steve’s shoulder the whole way home. 

Steve had prepared for Diesel’s arrival with treats, toys, beds. His room looked like doggie heaven if he was being honest. Diesel spent a good hour exploring every bit of the apartment before deciding on his favorite toy and spot on the couch. Steve checked the time on the clock and cursed. He only had a few minutes before Billy would get home from work. He put Diesel in his kennel, with a bone to gnaw on, before he closed the door to his bedroom and rushed around to start the only thing he could cook without burning: Spaghetti. 

Billy arrived just as Steve was making their plates. He grins as he sees the food being laid out for him. “Well, look at that. We’ll make a housewife out of you yet, Stevie.” Steve groans, his face bright red. “This is for your birthday! Happy birthday, asshole.” Billy had the decency to look the slightest bit embarrassed. 

“Oh. I forgot, honestly. Thank you.” The sincerity in his voice made Steve grin. “You’re welcome! Now come on I’m starving!” After dinner and a birthday phone call from Max, Steve decided it was time to give Billy his gift. He grins holding up a blindfold. “alright Billy time for your surprise.” 

“What? I told you not to and I’m not putting that on.” Steve rolls his eyes, pouting at him. “Of course I was going to get you something you’re my roommate and one of my best friends.” Billy makes a small dying noise before he can stop it from leaving his lips. “Best… friends? What? Really? Me?” 

Steve laughs, stepping behind him to put on the blindfold. “Duh. You think I just live with random strangers?” Billy allows him to tie the bandana around his head as he considers this. A smile stretched from ear to ear on his face. It was genuine and warm and real. It made Steve melt inside. Steve takes his hand and leads him to his bedroom. “Are we in your room? Is this kinky?” 

Steve sputters and coughs. “No, oh my god. Shut up, Hargrove.” Billy laughs. “It’s just a joke, princess.” Steve smiles at the sight of Diesel, looking up at him so happy with his big puppy dog eyes, his tail thumping quietly on the side of the kennel. 

"Steve..." Billy laughs nervously, hands already itching to remove his blindfold at the slight sound. "What did you do?"

Steve snorts and grins, quietly opening the door to the kennel so Diesel could step out. "Don't worry! You're gonna love it I promise. Okay, go ahead and take it off!" He called as he sat with the big boy in his lap. Billy removed his blindfold, smiling. As he opened his eyes and took in the sight of the dog in front of him, his smile dropped from his face and he turned so white Steve worried he was going to faint.

The silence between the three emerges as Steve and Diesel stare up at Billy from the floor. “Bil-” “Take him back. Wherever you got him from just… Take him back.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading!!


	3. A Fire in His Eyes

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Billy has a rough day.

Steve’s eyes widen, and he gapes at Billy. “Take him back?! What? No way! Billy, I thought you said you missed having a dog! Just look at him~! He’s such a good boy!” Steve coos at Diesel while his tail wags. Billy frowns and looks away from the two. “No. I said I missed my dog. This isn’t my dog. He’s just a dog. I… I don’t want him.” 

Steve huffs, angry, and disappointed but trying his best to understand. “Alright well… I’m not taking him back. I’ll keep him.” Billy raises an eyebrow, snorting as he looks at the two. “You can barely take care of yourself, Harrington.” 

Steve glares, standing to get in Billy’s face. “I don’t remember asking, Hargrove. Happy birthday. Goodnight.” He pushes Billy out of his room with two fingers on his chest. Billy was bewildered as the door closes in his face, leaving him to slink off to his room and try his hardest to not relive surfacing memories of his childhood. When he fell into a fitful sleep, he dreamed of screaming voices, shattering plates, and a dog’s pitiful whimpers. 

*

When he awoke and started breakfast the next morning, Steve entered, coming back from a morning run instead of sleeping in like he normally did. Both Diesel and Steve panting as Steve kneeled to take off the dog’s harness and give him some affectionate kisses on the head. Billy felt an odd gnawing at the pit of his stomach and he had to look away. He wasn’t sure who he was more jealous of, Steve for having a dog or the dog… for having Steve. 

He cleared his throat, as he focused his attention back on the omelets he was making. “You’re up early.” Steve shrugs as he sits heavily in the stool at the kitchen counter. “Yeah. Diesel needed to go out, and I decided I needed a run. I’ve gained like twenty pounds since I got out of high school.” He frowns, and Billy bites his lip. He’d noticed those twenty pounds. Twenty pounds took pencil-thin legs and changed them to thicker, juicier thighs. Twenty pounds took an ass that was so flat Billy could’ve mistaken it for a board and made it plump and sweet. An ass that made Billy want to bite into it every time Steve bent down to pick up something. Even though, Billy had always been attracted to Steve, even when he was shaped like a piece of paper. He didn’t say any of that. Just shrugged and said “Well yeah, doofus. You worked at an ice cream parlor and a movie rental place where you got discounts for candy. Also, I haven’t seen you work out even once, so you were bound to gain weight.” 

Steve’s cheeks heat up in embarrassment as he looks away. Billy’s chest warms as he catches sight of his favorite shade of pink on Steve’s cheeks. “Whatever. At least I don’t compensate for a shitty personality by working out for eighteen hours a day.” He mumbles angrily, frowning as he took off Diesel’s harness and let him roam the apartment. The comment caught Billy off guard. Between getting such shitty sleep the night before and reliving horrible moments in his past, he felt the anger lighting him up inside, filling up his veins with venom. The familiar need to fight, the need to take control of the situation rising in him. “By the way, did you even ask our landlord if you could have that damn mutt or did you just get him and think you could iron it all out later?” Steve sighs and looks over toward him. “I’m not stupid I called Linda and asked. She’s fine with it.” 

Billy hisses, rolling his eyes. “Sorry, Harrington. I have to check because most of the time you act like there’s only air between your shoulders where your fucking head should be and if that dog destroys any of my shit. You better pay for it.” Steve’s cheeks had darkened to an angry red, and Billy felt himself just get angrier. Steve scoffs slightly, refusing to escalate the argument any further. “Have a nice day, Hargrove.” He mumbles, getting his dog and closing himself off in his room. 

Billy curses, turning off the stove as he shouts angrily and abandons the idea of cooking. He gets dressed and heads to work early that day, trying to distract himself by taking on more work. After his fifth oil change, he began to feel a bit more normal. After a full day of work, he had forgotten about the fight that morning until he was on the drive home and the guilt hit him like a truck. He used to refuse to feel anything. “Fuck them. It’s their problem. I don’t care.” He’d say if he was the same person he’d been a few months ago, but… he wasn’t. Almost dying and discovering an alternate dimension with demon monsters that want nothing more than to possess you and eat your friends, kind of puts shit in perspective for a guy. 

He didn’t want to be his dad. He didn’t want to be like Neil who treated everyone around him like shit and was an all-around horrible person. Neil who took out his anger and aggression on innocent bystanders who had nothing to do with the situation. Neil who ruined his childhood and fucked him up so much that he had no idea what a healthy relationship was. Neil who gave him a dog that he didn’t want. Neil who gave him a dog that he fell in love with. Neil who took away the last thing he loved when he-. 

Billy refused to think about it. He pulled over into a gas station as he started panicking. His breath coming out in shallow gasps as the world seems to dim around him. He tried to ground himself, clutching onto the steering wheel so tight as the tears start slowly streaming down his face. His head making him feel like he was underwater. He just couldn’t breathe. It was like the air surrounding him just refused to go into his lungs. He whimpers and begins to shake as he hears a screaming voice from his memories. 

Eventually, he calms down enough to step out of his car. He can’t get the courage to look at how ugly he must appear in the mirror. He just goes into the gas station and grabs Steve’s favorite candy before leaving, refusing to talk to the cashier or look up from the counter. He drives home in silence, his body taking him down familiar roads as he zones out. He walks into the house, feeling like a ghost as he places the candy in front of Steve where he sat on the couch. Steve blinks and looks up in confusion, breath catching in his throat as he looks up at Billy. “Whoa Billy! What’s wrong?” 

Billy shook his head, refusing to answer. He began to feel tears start to sting his eyes as he looks away. Diesel suddenly sits up, nudging into the back of Billy’s knee until he sits down, rubbing at his eyes furiously. He may not like Diesel but he didn’t complain when the dog curled up at his feet and Billy rested his head in Steve’s lap.

Steve tried to coax him into talking after a while when their show got interrupted by a commercial. His fingers gently tracing Billy’s cheekbones as he looks down at him. “What happened, big guy?” Billy sniffs, sighing softly as he closes his eyes. “I… just… I remembered something from my childhood I guess. Something Neil did. It just… freaked me out I guess.” He mumbles, voice barely audible over the sound of the announcer on the television. “Okay... well can I help somehow? Do you need anything?” Steve asks, tone laced with concern, he’d completely forgotten about the fight that morning. Billy allows a small smile to twitch at his lips as he says. “You already are helping, pretty boy.” At that moment Billy couldn’t see it as his embarrassment wouldn’t allow him to open his eyes, but the living room walls were painted in a beautiful shade of pink from the sunset and Steve was looking down at Billy with wide brown eyes. Steve’s cheeks heated up to match the shade of color on the walls. Billy would've found it gorgeous. 

“I’m… sorry about this morning.” Billy mumbles after a while, on the verge of falling asleep while Steve played with his hair. Steve hummed softly, smiling down at the boy in his lap. “I know.” He assures as he stroked a gentle hand through beautiful sandy blonde curls. “Don’t worry I know. You’ve already been forgiven. Just rest, tiger.” Billy nods into his thigh as he begins to sleep soundly for the first time in a while. 

As Steve looked at Billy’s peaceful features he found himself reminiscing, remembering the times when those lips were curled into a snarl to show off perfect white teeth and ocean blue eyes were filled with a fire that threatened to burn up Steve’s entire world. Nowadays, Billy has begun to trade snarls and smirks for smiles and laughter. That fire was still there, but it was slowly beginning to change, morph into something different. Billy was starting to become passionate about more than just destruction. Billy was starting to care about someone other than himself for the first time in a long, long time.


	4. Ain't No Sunshine When He's Gone

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Steve leaves for a few days, Billy isn't good at being alone anymore.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> *TWIGGER WARNING* There are past child abuse and extreme animal abuse memories in this chapter please be warned! This chapter is hella sad tbh.

Billy never really missed California anymore. Back in high school, it was all he could think about. He would only ever think of getting money and getting back out to his home filled with the ocean and the feeling of salt in the fresh sea air. He reminisced about the piers, surfing, skateboard parks, the concerts he could find on almost any weekend, the beach. The thing he missed the most, however, was the sun. It was like Indiana was on a different planet entirely. Somewhere further from the sun he had grown to love. It always seemed dreary and grey. The clouds covering up the warmth Billy desperately craved. Hell even the _sky _looked different. The trees were too tall, nothing like the palm trees that only dotted the beach back home. It rained far too often, and it was too damn cold. Even in the Summer, it was just… too cold.__

__

__So, often high schooler Billy would dream of the day he could escape Neil’s clutches and run away, back to Cali, where he belonged. When the moment came, and he was free, he didn’t even give Cali a second thought. He went to Steve, followed him like a lost puppy. At some point along the way, Steve began to give Billy the same feeling as the California sun. He made Billy feel warm from the inside out. Making Steve smile gave him the same feeling of walking on the warm soft sand. Making Steve laugh made him feel like he was surfing, the blood in his veins pumping fast, his chest swelling up with pride. He felt like a king when he made Steve laugh. But when he made Steve laugh so hard that he snorts? - Laugh so hard that he snorts and hides his pretty face behind his hands and his ears turn bright red? That’s what made Billy feel like he was home. At some point along the way, Steve had become his sun. His ray of warmth and light in a foreign world that was so cold._ _

__

__Billy had begun having trouble picturing his life without Steve anymore. It was like he was in every little corner of his soul at this point. In the morning, he would feel out of sorts if he didn’t catch Steve before he went to work to tell him to have a good day. He found his thoughts wandering toward the boy when he had an idle moment. He was always wondering about how he was feeling, what he was doing if he wasn’t around him. It was… embarrassing how often he thought of his best friend. Billy would often scold himself for these thoughts, shifting them quickly into self-loathing indoctrination that took the form of someone else’s words, not his own. Billy had begun to rely on Steve, and he was trying to hate it. He wanted nothing more than to push Steve away, force him from his thoughts and flee from his problems. Yet, he couldn’t._ _

__

__His days sorta revolved around Steve and consequently Diesel. So Billy knew when he had to go out, knew the walking routes he was used to, when to feed him and how much. It was only natural after living with him for a month. Billy didn’t like that dog, but… Steve loved him. It was hard for Billy to loath anything Steve loved. Diesel made him happy, so Billy was giving the dog a pass. That didn’t mean he liked him. Even if he thought he looked cute while he tried to lick the peanut butter off of Steve’s spoon when he finished making a sandwich. Even if Billy found it adorable that when he slept on the couch, he would lay on his back and he would snore SO loud that he would wake himself up. Even if Billy thought the dog looked badass sometimes and bought him a spiked collar once when he was out at the store. It didn’t mean he liked him. They just had a mutual truce. They both loved Steve, so they had to deal with one another. You certainly wouldn’t catch Billy taking care of the mutt anytime soon… or so he thought._ _

__

__On a bright spring day in the middle of April, Robin came bursting through the doors of their apartment, flashing two tickets to a concert in Indianapolis: Wham!. Steve’s favorite band that Billy “loathed”. (AKA hated to Steve’s face, but listened to behind his back.) Steve was immediately ecstatic. “What?! Oh my god! Robin, I fucking love you.” He shouts as he grabs the tiny girl by the waist, squeezing her until she wheezes. “Jesus Christ, dingus! Let go! I can’t breathe!” She whines until Steve drops her to look at the tickets again, the two already discussing the weekend trip they were gonna take._ _

__

__Billy was… less than enthused. “Wham! is stupid. This is dumb. Why don’t you two listen to any actual music? AC/DC? Mötley Crüe? Hell, I would even take the fucking Clash at this point.” He was _not _pouting. He was just… annoyed that Steve would be gone for four days seeing a stupid band that plays shitty music when he could be home with him. Steve rolls his eyes at him before he turns back to Robin as she kicks back on their sofa. “Oh, wait… Diesel can’t come.” He sighed as he looked over at his sleeping pup. Robin shrugged as she flipped through the channels on the TV. “Have your ‘roommate’ watch him.” She mumbles as she pops her gum obnoxiously with equally obnoxious air quotes. She was still insisting that two were secretly dating and just wouldn’t tell her.___ _

____ _ _

____Steve turned his honey-brown, doe eyes on Billy and he could already feel his resolve slipping. “Billy? Could you maybe-” “I’m stopping you there Stevie. It’s not happening.” Steve pouts, worrying his plump bottom lip between his teeth as he widens his eyes at him. “Please, Billy? I really _really _want to go.” Billy sighs, looking over at the drooling mutt in the corner laying on his dog bed, fast asleep, seeming just as peaceful as could be. Billy turns his attention back to Steve, breath getting caught in his throat at how adorable he looked. His big, brown, wide eyes pleading him, his hands clasped together in front of him as he bites those pretty, pink, soft lips. Billy relents immediately. “Fine.” He grumbles as Steve squeals and hugs him so tight, practically jumping into his arms. “Thank you! Thank you! Thank you! Yes! You’re the best Billy!” Billy snorts and rolls his eyes. “Yeah yeah, Princess. I know.”___ _ _ _

______ _ _ _ _

______**_ _ _ _ _ _

______ _ _ _ _

______Two weeks later, on a Friday morning, Robin and Steve left. Steve leaving Billy with instructions that he didn’t need. He already knew how to take care of Diesel. It’s not like it was all that hard. He was just a dog. Billy took Diesel on his morning run, the apartment felt… empty when he arrived back home. Steve hadn’t even been gone for an hour and he already felt like shit. Billy sighs and unleashes Diesel, allowing him to roam their apartment. Billy frowns at the quiet, going to make breakfast by himself._ _ _ _ _ _

______ _ _ _ _

______Diesel suddenly came into their tiny kitchen, laying on the mat in front of the sink as he watches Billy. He looks down at him and feels his heart squeeze in his chest. Diesel made Billy think of Apollo. The little beagle that he loved. Neil had gotten him from one of the buddies he went drinking with and Billy had him since he was just 6 weeks old._ _ _ _ _ _

______ _ _ _ _

______He frowns turning back to his cooking, feeling the anger and sadness filling him up with venom yet again. It made him want to rip off his skin. Everything he was wearing suddenly felt so itchy. He showered after breakfast. Trying his best to ignore Diesel who was staring at him from the hallway as he brushed his teeth until his gums bled._ _ _ _ _ _

______ _ _ _ _

______Diesel lets out a short, soft whine and Billy turns to him, clenching his jaw as the dog comes over and nudges him. He sighs softly giving Diesel some affection as he feels himself to calm down. Billy smiles as he pats Diesel’s huge head. “You’re not so bad are you boy?” Diesel wags his tail in response. The two going to the couch and curling up together._ _ _ _ _ _

______ _ _ _ _

______**_ _ _ _ _ _

______ _ _ _ _

______It wasn’t easy, functioning with Steve gone. Billy had to call into work on the day Steve was supposed to come home. He woke up to Diesel licking his face and it had sent his brain reverting. He felt like he was thirteen again. He was still living under his dad’s oppressive thumb. He quickly started having an attack as thoughts of little Apollo circled in his head. He couldn’t breathe, tears streaming down his cheeks as his chest feels like it’s on the verge of exploding._ _ _ _ _ _

______ _ _ _ _

______Apollo was always such a sweet dog. He was smart as a whip too. It was like he could read Billy’s mind. Billy was desperately trying to remember the good things: the way Apollo always tilted his head when Billy called his name, all the amazing tricks Billy had taught him. How much he loved the beach and how good he was at staying on Billy’s surfboard when they rode the waves. How much he grew in the three years he had him. Billy tried so hard to remember all the wonderful, sweet things about that little dog, but he always ended up remembering how it ended._ _ _ _ _ _

______ _ _ _ _

______It had been three days after his mom had left. It didn’t take long for Neil to turn on Billy. Billy had been kneeling in his room, praying for God to bring back his mother, begging for some divine intervention to take him away from his father. Neil had entered his bedroom, and it started with him yelling, screaming about him being a pussy. Billy was crying, begging him to leave him alone when he reached out and began to choke him. Billy screamed and cried and kicked. He didn’t hear Apollo barking, and howling until it was too late. Apollo dug his teeth into his father’s ankle, and Neil turned on the dog quickly. Billy tried to protect him, but Neil just kept screaming that the dog needed to be taught a lesson. Billy begged Neil for hours to take Apollo to the vet, pleaded and cried until he got slapped and sent to bed. Apollo died that night in his arms. Billy buried him by himself out near the beach in the morning._ _ _ _ _ _

______ _ _ _ _

______When Billy finally surfaced out of his memories, he was clinging to Diesel. The large dog completely laying on him, licking at his tears until they stopped flowing. Billy couldn’t get out of bed after that. He let Diesel outside once or twice but the two just laid in bed for the better part of the day until Steve came home. “Hey! Where are my boys?” He’d called from the front door. “In here.” Billy weakly calls back, burying his face in soft fur, not wanting Diesel to get up. Steve walks in and frowns, petting both Billy’s head and Diesel’s fur. “What’s going on? Bad day?” Billy just nods and Steve sighs, dropping his backpack on the floor as he pulls back the covers. “C’mon. Move over, let me in.”_ _ _ _ _ _

______ _ _ _ _

______Billy blushes as he looks at him but obeys, scooting further toward the wall so Steve could join the two in his bed. Diesel moving to lay at their feet as Steve runs his fingers through Billy’s hair, looking at him with those damn eyes. Billy sniffs and tries to force a smile. “H-how was the concert?” “Fun, but you wanna talk about what’s going on with you first?” Billy sighs, letting his eyes close as he relaxes into Steve’s hands._ _ _ _ _ _

______ _ _ _ _

______“Neil… killed my dog when I was little.” Billy didn’t open his eyes to see Steve’s reaction but he could hear his breath catch. “Christ. I’m so sorry, Billy. That’s horrible.” Billy nods, burying his face into Steve’s neck as he feels his eyes threaten to tear up again. “Yeah. It was… the worst. Apollo was just… trying to protect me and Diesel just reminds me of him.” He mumbles into Steve. Steve sighs, kissing the side of Billy’s face that he can reach. “You’re not there anymore. You got out. I’m so proud of you. God. You’re so fucking _strong _, Billy.” Billy’s tears well up again, but he doesn’t fight them this time. He lets the tears come and this time he felt Steve’s arms around him. He felt safe and warm. Steve was his sunshine, and Billy was right where he belonged.___ _ _ _ _ _


	5. Is This Love?

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Living with Steve has taught Billy three things:  
> 1\. Steve Harrington is the nicest person on earth and that’s just a fact.  
> 2\. Steve Harrington is absolutely the worst at taking care of himself and it's a miracle he’s lived this long.  
> 3\. Steve Harrington still has really bad night terrors.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter kinda switches from Steve's POV to Billy's so I hope it's not confusing or too jarring! I hope you enjoy it!! (Also some brief homophobic language is in this chapter, so be warned.)

Steve had just known Billy was lying. Billy _had _wanted a dog. After that weekend, he allowed himself to fall in love with Diesel and Diesel absolutely adored Billy. He followed Billy like they were attached at the hip. Hell, even Billy’s boss let Diesel come into the shop and hang out in the garage. He became a sort of mascot, and he was always close when Billy needed him. Everyone loved Diesel. It was hard not to.__

__

__Steve was glad. He _was _happy for them. He bought Diesel _for _Billy and Billy was getting better. Day by day with Diesel by his side, he’d started to heal. His panic attacks were more easily managed with Diesel’s calming presence, and the alerts the dog gave him were the difference between Billy breaking down or being able to function that day. He could go to the store without worrying about hearing loud noises or someone screaming because he had Diesel and Diesel made everything better. He was happier and he could actually relax now. He wasn’t constantly walking on eggshells or tensed at the edge of his seat. It was good. Diesel still loved Steve, Billy just needed him more._____ _

______ _ _ _ _

______But now, at night, Steve was alone. Diesel opted to sleep with Billy which _was _fine. Steve just felt… unsafe now. More often than not he would wake up screaming. The scent of decay in his nostrils, his heart pounding, his chest heaving, the cries of the kids echoing in his ears as his tears stream down his cheeks. Steve never felt bad about them when he was living alone, no one to annoy with his midnight terrors. Sure they sucked, but it wasn’t that big of a deal. Steve wasn’t along anymore, though. Billy and he were getting closer by the minute. And now, every time he woke up crying and screaming, Billy and Diesel would have to rush into his room.___ _ _ _ _ _

________ _ _ _ _ _ _

________Steve couldn’t lie. It was nice, having Billy hold him after a nightmare. Steve let himself relax in his strong arms while his sweet whispers of “I got you, pretty boy” or “You’re safe. I promise, princess.” filled his ears. The weight of Diesel laying on his legs helping to lull him back to sleep. In the mornings, however, he could see how tired Billy was. Billy looked as bad as he felt and he felt horrible. So, Steve decided it was in the best interest of everyone in the apartment if he just… didn’t sleep._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

________ _ _ _ _ _ _

________The three of them had been cuddled up in the living room watching some TV when Billy stood up and stretched. Steve blushing and looking away as Billy’s hoodie got caught, and it showed off his ridiculously sculpted abs and tanned skin. He sighs and hums looking over at the clock, as Diesel gets up from his pet bed to follow him like his shadow, barely a step behind. “C’mon, princess. We should go to bed we both have work in the morning.”_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

________ _ _ _ _ _ _

________Steve shakes his head, smiling sheepishly. “Oh, yeah. I just… I think I’ll stay up for a bit. Goodnight, though. Sleep well.” Billy narrows his eyes at him suspiciously. “What’s going on, Harrington?” Steve pouts, giving him his best puppy dog eyes to get him to just go to bed without questioning him. “Nothing I just want to finish my show! Don’t ‘Harrington’ me, Hargrove. I haven’t done anything wrong!” He whines petulantly, sticking out his tongue for good measure. Billy sighs and shakes his head. “Yet… Alright. Well, I guess… Goodnight then.” He mumbles before going into his room._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

________ _ _ _ _ _ _

________Steve lasted another hour and a half before he started to doze on the couch. He decided to get up and make some coffee. He almost shattered the coffee pot when Billy spoke suddenly from the hall. “Princess? What are you doing?” Steve exhaled shakily, placing the pot on the counter as he looks down at his feet, wiggling his toes on the rug, while he tries to think of something to say. “It’s nothing. I’m fine. Why aren’t you asleep?” He mumbles softly, feeling his cheeks start to heat up in embarrassment. This was stupid. He felt like a little kid getting caught doing something wrong._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

________ _ _ _ _ _ _

________ _ _ _ _ _ _

________Billy stood in the doorway, watching him with a frown. He couldn’t sleep… He’d been too worried thinking about Steve. Living with Steve has taught Billy three things;_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

________1\. Steve Harrington is the nicest person on earth and that’s just a fact._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

________2\. Steve Harrington is absolutely the worst at taking care of himself and it's a miracle he’s lived this long._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

________3\. Steve Harrington still has really bad night terrors._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

________ _ _ _ _ _ _

________The fact that Steve wasn’t even trying to sleep meant something was wrong and Billy couldn’t sleep without doing something._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

________ _ _ _ _ _ _

________Billy sighs and moves over to him. Steve breath hitches slightly as he enters his personal space, trapping him against the counter, placing his hands on either side of Steve’s hips as he leans into him without hesitation. “It’s not nothing, baby. Are you scared to go to sleep?” Billy asks softly, sweetly as the two were breathing the same air, just so close. He momentarily wonders when they got so comfortable around each other. He could see every minute detail on Steve’s face. The beautiful flawless skin turning pink as he gets even more flushed, those soft, sweet lips, those goddamn Bambi eyes that were so wide staring into Billy’s fucking soul._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

________ _ _ _ _ _ _

________Steve raises his hands, placing them on strong biceps. Billy briefly worrying he was going to be pushed away, but Steve just held onto him. Steve’s hands squeezing him as he looks away, embarrassed. “No… it’s not that. I just… you always seem so tired in the mornings after I wake you up and… I just… I feel horrible, Billy. I should be an adult. I shouldn’t be crying in my sleep like a toddler.” He whispers, looking up at him through thick eyelashes. His beautiful doe eyes beginning to tear up just the slightest bit. The moonlight shining through the window giving Steve an ethereal glow. God. He was infuriatingly pretty. Billy inwardly curses himself before he leans forward they were already so close. It was just a half an inch, and he was pressing his lips to Steve’s._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

________ _ _ _ _ _ _

________Steve gasps against his lips and Billy’s heart starts to pick up. Billy’s heart feeling like it might explode right there and then as Steve’s lips stay completely placid against his own. Billy’s eyes slide close as his mind screams in the voice of Neil. He’d completely misread everything. Steve wasn’t fucking _gay _. He was just _nice _and Billy Hargrove was a goddamn idiot, faggot. He’d ruined everything with his roommate of all people, because of _course _he did. He always did. Billy could feel his chest starting to tighten and the urge to run overwhelming him as he begins to pull away from Steve._______ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

______________ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

______________Just as Billy starts to pull back, starting to apologize, Steve drags him in for another kiss, tangling his fingers in the hair at the back of Billy’s neck, wrapping his arm around his shoulders to pull him even closer. It was Billy’s turn to gasp as he’s dragged into several passionate kisses. Steve’s lips were even softer than he thought they’d be. The feeling of Steve’s hand in his hair, tugging just slightly as Billy slid his hands down to grip Steve’s thighs and haul him up into his arms properly before he places him on the counter. Billy smiles into the kiss as Steve wraps his legs around Billy’s hips. He couldn’t help himself. He was too _happy _. Steve was grinning too, giggling as he kissed him over and over again. Billy pulls away just enough to nudge their noses together and mumble sweetly to him. “We’ve been through a lot, Stevie. Would you ever call me a toddler about my nightmares?”___ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

________________ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

________________Steve narrows his eyes just slightly, avoiding Billy’s eyes as he shakes his head, voice so soft as he mumbles. “No… I’d never say that to you.” Billy smiles softly, his hand coming up to rest sweetly on Steve’s cheek. Billy’s thumb softly brushes across his cheekbone as he leans forward to kiss his forehead. “I know, baby. So, don’t tell yourself that. It’s okay to have nightmares. Okay?” Steve nods, smiling softly as he looks into his eyes, before he pouts a bit, sticking out that plump little bottom lip. Billy had to resist the urge to bite it. Steve began to fiddle with some of Billy’s curls as he looks away from him. “I still feel bad about waking you up… You go to work so tired.”_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

________________ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

________________Billy brings him in for another sweet kiss, mumbling against his lips. “I don’t care about being tired, pretty boy. I care about _you _.” Steve’s eyes shine as he looks up at him, giggling as he nods and presses himself even closer into Billy’s embrace. “really?” Billy rolls his eyes. “Do you see me kissing anyone else? No. Just you, princess”___ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

__________________ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

__________________Steve grins, sighing happily, nuzzling into Billy’s neck, and kissing the skin he finds there. “I’m impressed. You actually admitted something instead of just silently brooding about your feelings. That’s progress, Bills. I’m proud of you.” He giggles against him, as Billy blushes and hides his face in Steve’s shoulder. “Shut up, jackass. We’ve been dancing around each other for weeks and you know it. One of us had to have the balls to do something about it.” Steve nods, smiling fondly at him when he yawns loudly. “Okay, big guy. Let’s go to bed?” Billy smiles and nods. “Long as you’re joining me in mine.” Steve bites his lip, nodding Billy wraps him back up into his arms and carries him to bed. Diesel was snoring loudly at the foot of the bed, jumping awake as the two climb into bed with him. He gets up to cuddle closer to the two of them, stretching out. The bed seemed like it was the warmest, happiest place on earth at that moment._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

__________________ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

__________________**_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

__________________The nightmares finally stopped after that. Who knew sleeping with two creatures made of pure muscle could make a boy feel so safe? Steve’s room became nothing more than a place to stash his stuff, he slept and spent most of his time in Billy’s room. He felt like his life had completely flipped upside down… in a good way._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

__________________ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

__________________He woke up every morning to sweet kisses from both Billy and Diesel. All three of them would go on a nice morning walk and sometimes during those walks, Billy would feel brave enough to reach out and hold Steve’s hand. They would go home, and Billy would start breakfast, while Steve fed Diesel. Then they would sit down to breakfast and go to work. Some days, when Steve came home exhausted, Billy would sit with him on the couch and rub his feet. When Billy had bad days, Steve would massage his shoulders or play with his hair._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

__________________ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

__________________Billy was really sweet to him. Steve was sort of shocked because he expected dating Billy to be a flash of arguments and sex. Yet, they’ve been dating for almost a month and sex didn’t seem to be very high on Billy’s list of priorities when it came to Steve. Arguments were easy to avoid as well. Steve had learned to read Billy pretty well. He knew when he was getting overwhelmed. He would just drop a conversation until later when Billy would have cooled off. They were good together._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

__________________ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

__________________It wasn’t long after they started dating that Dustin (since he was the oldest of the kids) received his license and demanded that Steve allow them all to come over for the weekend. Steve groans while on the phone, Billy raising an eyebrow as he comes over to him from where he was cutting up peppers for that night’s dinner. “What is it, baby?” He mumbles to him softly as he wraps his arms around Steve’s waist and kisses along his shoulder._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

__________________ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

__________________Steve shivers slightly, biting his lip and covering the phone receiver with a hand, so Dustin couldn’t hear. Steve was used to Billy calling him pet names. He’d grown accustomed to Billy calling him “pretty boy” or “princess”, but “baby” was still a new one. Along with the occasional “kitten” and “doll.” He sighs, leaning back into his boyfriend and kisses his jaw while mumbling, “The kids want to come over this weekend.” Billy grins, nuzzling into Steve’s kisses while he chuckles softly. “That’s a long way for a new driver, but I don’t have an issue with it. Do you?” Steve sighs and shakes his head, smiling at Billy. “No, I’m just gonna worry about them driving for two hours straight in the dark.”_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

__________________ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

__________________He relinquishes his hand over the receiver and sighs. “Alright, fine. You guys can come. Just promise me you’ll be safe and bring extra blankets! I won’t have enough for all you heathens.” Dustin makes a loud, happy noise, hanging up after thanking him profusely. Steve shakes his head as he places the phone back on the hook. He giggles as Billy begins to sway them softly to the beat of the gentle music coming from the radio on the windowsill._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

__________________ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

__________________Steve bites his lip as he fiddles with Billy’s hands around his waist. “Something on your mind, doll?” Billy’s voice softly cuts through the silence, comforting and sweet near his ear. “Oh um… I was just … wondering if you wanted to… tell them about us… this weekend?” He asks as he turns to face him in his arms. Billy was smiling at him. His blue eyes looking so bright and happy as he caresses his cheek and brings him in for a sweet kiss. “Yeah, baby. We can tell them.” Steve smiles, laying his head on his boyfriend’s chest, humming along to the song as they danced in their kitchen within the light of the setting sun._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _


	6. Angels

Steve is pretty sure Billy is nervous. He’s never really _seen _Billy nervous before, so, understandably, he’s a little confused. Scared and overwhelmed, sure, but nervous? He’s never seen that. Billy has cleaned the entire apartment twice. He keeps scrubbing at a stain in the kitchen counter that’s been there probably longer than the two have been alive. Steve sighs as Billy gets up to get the broom for the fifth time that morning. “The place looks amazing, Big guy. Calm down, okay? Just talk to me. Why are you so nervous?”__

__

__Billy’s gaze is glued to his fingernails as he starts to pick at them, biting his lip as he tries to think of what to say. Diesel comes over to the two, shoving his head at Billy’s hands until Billy is forced to pet him instead of making his fingers bleed. “okay, um… well, I um.” Steve gently beginning rubbing his hand through Billy’s long hair, massaging the skin at the back of his neck. He leans forward to kiss at the side of Billy’s face and neck, trying not to giggle when Billy’s stubble tickles his lips. “Shh. Relax. Tell me when you’re ready.”_ _

__

__Billy nods a little, relaxing into Steve as he stares into the deep brown of his Diesel’s eyes. Diesel’s tail wagging as he brings peace to both of them. Steve often felt gratitude for adopting Diesel, but moments like these, where Diesel helps ground Billy, lets Billy focus on what he wants to say without giving him anxiety. That’s really where Steve appreciates their dog. He was right when he met Diesel. Someone had stamped “Billy Hargrove” on him, it was just on his heart instead of his head._ _

__

__Eventually, Billy looks up, kissing Steve sweetly. They’d probably already kissed hundreds of times since their first, but Steve will never get over it. Billy’s kisses were like the sunshine, all warmth, and light. Billy warmed Steve up from the inside out. As they part from the kiss Steve gently places his hand on Billy’s cheek before he begins to speak. “I guess I’m just… apprehensive? The last time I told Max about someone I was dating… It didn’t go over well and we had to move to Hawkins and... well the last time I saw all the kids I was a monster, both figurately and literally. I just… I don’t want them to hate you or me…” He lets out a deep sigh, laying his head back on the couch and looking over to Steve._ _

__

__Steve smiles softly despite himself. His boyfriend was amazing. Really and truly Billy was an amazing person and Steve… liked him a lot. Maybe what he was feeling for Billy… was love. He runs his hand through those beautiful sandy blonde curls as he leans forward, kissing along his jaw. “Don’t be nervous. There’s nothing any of them can do to take away how much I love you. You know that right? I adore you. They’re smart. They’re not so little anymore. They can understand more now. They know you’re not a monster. You were in a bad place. Hell. We were all in a bad place. Life is different now. We’re all different now. Okay?” He asks softly as he leans their foreheads together._ _

__

__Billy lets his eyes drift close as he softly nods and lets out a breath. “Yeah. Okay.” Steve smiles, moving to straddle muscular thighs as he caresses Billy’s cheeks with both his hands and kisses all over him. Billy’s laugh starts small. It starts deep in his chest and bubbles up. “It tickles.” He mumbles lazily as Steve places a light kiss along his neck. Steve grins as he gives him more and more kisses until Billy’s squirming to get away from his love._ _

__

__He slowly pulls away as he hears the doorbell ring. He gives Billy a lingering kiss. “you’re gonna be okay, big guy. I’m always gonna be here.” Billy smiles at him sweetly, calm and ready. “I know.” Steve could already hear the kids all yelling over each other in the hall. He shakes his head and looks toward Billy. “Ready, baby?” He asks softly, grinning as Billy nods, and he steps away to open the door._ _

__

__The gaggle of children were all practically shoving each other out the way to hug Steve. Max shoved all of them out of the way to run and tackle her brother, who staggers slightly but laughs as he catches her and spins her around. Steve laughs and brings them all inside, Robin right behind them, flopping down on the couch like she owns it. “When did you get here?” Steve asks slightly confused as he didn’t remember inviting Robin over. “Max called me to say they were all coming over this weekend and she wanted to see if I was coming too.” Steve blinks and nods. “Oh. I forgot to invite you honestly. My bad.” Robin rolls her eyes. “Yeah, your bad dingus.”_ _

__

__Steve flops down beside her, hugging her tightly. “I love you!! Don’t be mad at me!” He cries out as he hugs her tightly. “I’m not mad at you, dork! I know how you get when it comes to the kids. You get like… tunnel vision. Now get off of me, idiot!” Steve laughs as he lets himself get shoved onto the carpeted floor. The kids had abandoned both Billy and Steve for Diesel who was being spoiled with love._ _

__

__It was so cute. Diesel with his tail thumping the ground at a million miles an hour as he gave everyone kisses and soaked up any affection he could get. Steve watches Billy for a moment, who was standing on the outside of it all. He was isolating himself in a room full of people. Steve frowns and walks over to where Billy was standing, leaning against the doorframe, so he could run at any moment._ _

__

__Steve kisses his cheek, making Billy turn bright red and sputter. “Wh-What if they saw Steve?” He hisses softly, looking around wildly at the people filling their living room, who weren’t paying any attention to them. Steve smiles softly, rolling his eyes. “We’re going to tell them, anyway. Fuck two days of not kissing you. If they have a problem with it, they can go home in the morning.” He presses Billy back against the wall, kissing him until he feels him relax. Billy’s hands find their way into Steve’s hair as he sighs into his mouth._ _

__

__Suddenly, Robin is screaming, jumping off the couch. “I FUCKING KNEW IT! I KNEW IT! I FUCKING CALLED IT! HOW LONG?! HOW LONG HAVE YOU BEEN FUCKING LYING TO ME STEVE?!” Steve can’t help himself he starts to laugh, lowering his head to Billy’s shoulder as he laughs loudly. Billy was laughing too, his arms wrapped tightly around him. Max suddenly spoke up from the floor, confused. “Were you guys not dating this whole time?”_ _

__

__Billy blinks, pulling away from Steve a bit to look at his sister. “What do you mean?” Steve turns around to look at Max as well. She looked confused and slightly embarrassed, red high on her cheeks. “Well, um… we all thought that you guys started dating after Billy moved in with you. I thought you guys had been dating since Billy was in the hospital.”_ _

__

__Steve looks at the children laying haphazardly on his floor in shock. “You all thought… I was dating Billy Hargrove and NONE of you mentioned it to me?! Even once?!” Dustin holds his hands up in defense of himself. “We wanted Will to ask, but he chickened out! We just assumed you guys weren’t gonna tell anyone!” Steve groans and looks up toward the ceiling. “The kids knew how gay I was for you before I did. Unbelievable.” He mutters._ _

__

__Billy had been pretty silent while standing beside Steve, suddenly he starts to laugh. He was laughing so hard, he could hardly breathe, and that made Steve laugh. He hugged his boyfriend tightly, and they found themselves surrounded by friends who loved them and just wanted them to be happy. Billy sighs happily, leaning into Steve with a smile on his face. “I always thought if people knew I was gay… that the world would like implode or something, but we’re here and it’s… it’s okay.” Steve smiles, opening his mouth to respond before Mike beat him to it. “Yeah, man. We don’t care about who you fuck.” Steve snorts and rolls his eyes. “Language… but thanks.”_ _

__

__At some point in the night, they both received shovel talks. Steve from Max and Billy from Dustin. It was sweet, watching Max stick up for her older brother. He didn’t need her to protect him, but it was good, knowing Billy had more people in his corner than he previously accounted for. Steve wasn’t going anywhere, anytime soon. Steve didn’t know what Dustin had said to him, but it made Billy shiver just thinking about it. Steve couldn’t help the pride swelling in his chest as he thought about how much he loved Dustin, the closest thing he’d ever have to a little brother._ _

__

__That weekend was fun. The kids dragged them around to do everything their town offered: movies, shopping, walks with Diesel in the park. Steve got to see another side of Will that weekend. It was amazing to watch Will confidently flirt with a boy from across the movie theater counter. Something about being in a different town gave him the confidence he normally lacked. They were both blushing messes by the end of it, but Will got his number. None of them had any problem with whom Billy had grown to be. They had no problem with them being together._ _

__

__The night after all the kids had left Billy curled up with Steve in bed. He was happy, smiling and humming as he kissed along Steve’s bare chest. Steve pushes his curls back to look into his eyes. “What’s got you so happy, big guy?” He asks as he pulls him in for a kiss. Billy grins against his lips. “It’s nice… being accepted for who you are, you know?” Steve smiles, placing gentle kisses against his lips as he nods. “Yeah. We picked a good family, huh?” Billy nods, nuzzling into Steve’s neck as he mumbles back. “Yeah. They’re good.”_ _

__

__***_ _

__

__It was a few months later that Billy brought home Atlas. She was the nastiest, scrawniest puppy Steve had ever seen. She was a beagle puppy and she couldn’t have been older than two months at best. Billy had found her going through the garbage behind the dumpster at work. He’d managed to capture her and brought her home. He named her after just an hour of her being in the apartment._ _

__

__They’d taken her to the vet that night, and the outlook wasn’t good. She had heartworms and was severely malnourished. They received advice and some medicine, but the only real thing they could do was wait and see if she was going to pull through._ _

__

__Atlas spent the first two days sleeping. She would hardly pick her head up and she would barely eat. Steve was worried that she wouldn’t make it and he knew if she didn’t it would break Billy’s heart. They had to keep Atlas in Steve’s old room because of how fragile she was. They knew Diesel wouldn’t intentionally hurt her… he was just eighteen times her size, and it wasn’t a good idea. Every night, Steve would wake up in the middle of the night to feed her and make sure that she was okay. Billy had offered to do it, but most of the time he slept like the dead and couldn’t wake up to take care of her if he tried._ _

__

__Tonight, as Steve sat, trying his best to hand-feed the puppy in his lap as he spoke to her in hushed tones. “You better listen up, little lady.” He mumbled as he looked down at her accusingly. “You have to pull through this because you are too damn cute not to. Do you hear me? Billy may act like he’s not attached to you, but I know he is. And I am too. Dammit. So… So you have to get better. Okay?” He didn’t know if he was asking the puppy or the universe at this point. Atlas didn’t seem to acknowledge his pleading, simply laying her head on his lap._ _

__

__He sighs, leaning his head back against the wall as he closes his eyes. He couldn’t help but feel like he was failing her. He didn’t know what else to do. It seemed like he’d tried absolutely everything and she just had no interest in eating food. Steve was about to call it for the night when suddenly, Atlas was licking at the wet dog food on Steve’s palm._ _

__

__Steve gasps, eyes wide as he watches the little girl chewing on the soft dog food he’d been trying to get her interested in for days. The biggest sigh of relief pushed itself out of Steve’s chest and he relaxed. “She’s eating?” Billy was standing in the doorway, eyes wide, a grin spread across his face. Steve couldn’t help but grin back at the happiness in his eyes. “Yeah. It’s a miracle.”_ _

__

__The two watched her eat her fill in the silence. Once she’d eaten, she promptly fell back asleep and Steve placed her back into her little bed. Steve had just set her down when Billy suddenly steps forward, kissing Steve softly as he mumbles against his lips. “I think you’re an angel.” Steve rolls his eyes at that, already starting to turn red. “What are you talking about, Hargrove?” Billy smirks, pressing a kiss to his jaw as he mumbles against his skin. “You’re an angel. Everything you touch… you can fix or heal. You’re so good, Stevie. Everything about you. You’re just so good.” Steve feels himself flush red hot at his words. He drags Billy in closer and wraps his arms around his neck._ _

__

__Billy’s kisses were passionate and filled with love. It made every molecule in Steve’s body melt. He shivers slightly as Billy’s kisses begin to travel down his jaw to his neck. That damn devil’s mouth sucking a mark just above Steve’s collarbone, making him whimper. After a moment longer, he pushes Billy back toward their bedroom._ _

__

__“I don’t know about all that.” Steve mumbles against rough stubble as he’s pushed back onto the bed. He’s pulled into a searing, hot kiss. “I do,” Billy growls appreciatively against his mouth. “You’re an angel and you’re all mine, Stevie. You’re my angel.”_ _


	7. Prologue: Give The Boy A Dog

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> What happens for the boys in the years to come!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is the end! Thank ya'll for reading this!!

Atlas quickly turned out to be a very important part of Billy’s healing. She allowed Billy to accept what happened with Apollo and move on. She helped him finally realized that Apollo’s death had nothing to do with himself and everything to do with Neil. She brought so much playful energy and joy into their lives. She was always ready to go and would constantly be running from one place to another. Diesel **_loved_** her. He was always so gentle with her. The two would always be curled up together or playing around in the living room. Atlas was the more dominant of the two, Diesel would almost automatically bend to her will. 

Their first apartment was home for almost six years before they moved out. Life wasn’t always easy, sometimes they fought and dark days would creep into their peaceful lives. But, they belonged to each other. Billy didn’t know another person on Earth that would learn the lyrics to his favorite songs for him or braid his hair at night. Steve couldn’t imagine not waking up to his boyfriend’s beautiful sleeping face and he’d never felt as safe or as loved when he was in Billy’s arms. 

They finally decided to move out of Indiana when Robin moved with her girlfriend of two years, Lauren. They’d moved to New York and Billy could just tell how bored Steve was when he would get calls from her. There wasn’t a lot for two young men to do in Indiana. It was the type of place you moved to when you wanted to retire and spend your days yelling at teenagers to get off your lawn. It was time to move on. Billy was starting to get frustrated in his dead-end job and the lack of anything to do in Indiana. Steve didn’t want to admit it, but he was too. 

So, convincing Steve to move to California wasn’t as hard as he thought it was going to be. The kids were grown and gone to college, neither of them had much reason to stay in Indiana. They found a cute little house near the beach and Steve decided to go back to school to become a social worker while Billy managed to open his surf shop. Billy finally had moved back to California and that first week made him feel the most relief he’d ever felt. He was home. 

Steve in California was like having both of Billy’s homes in one place. Cali would always be a home for Billy, but getting both Steve **_and_** Cali was a dream come true. Indiana had become a grave for a person that Billy didn’t want to be and memories he would rather let die. It was a cemetery full of the parts of themselves they had to kill so that the new versions of themselves can flourish.

Steve was beautiful, and he belonged in Cali, on the beach, playing in the waves more than anyone else in the world. He was sunshine and warmth. The image of Steve running happily down the sand toward the ocean was burned on the inside of Billy’s eyelids. It was his favorite thing to remember. The way he looked when he stopped to turn to billy, his eyes sparkling in the sun, his hair being blown in the wind, the waves crashing behind him. Steve was everything Billy loved. 

It took three years but, Steve finally convinced Billy that they needed a kid of their own, since getting married wasn’t an option at that time. Sam was a ten-year-old that came from the foster system with trust issues and a lot of pain.   
  


Diesel, as old as he was, helped Sam heal too. He would calm him when he was scared, let Sam hold him and cry into his fur. Diesel took care of Sam as much as Billy and Steve did. Sam wasn’t even the same kid because of that dog. They’d had Sam for almost a year before he called Billy _Dad_ without a hint of malice or sarcasm. That in of itself was a miracle because in that first week he’d moved in he had spit in Billy’s face and told him off. Now he would hug him and tell him when he was having problems at school or with his homework. They were a family. Not the traditional kind but… in a way that made it better. 

Billy was a father now. He had the chance to undo all the mistakes his father had made. He worked with Sam every day and always made sure he knew just how much he loved him. If you’d gone back in time and told Billy in high school that he would be a father, practically married to Steve Harrington and that he’d be back in California he would’ve punched you in the face. But it was the truth.

Diesel was old now. He'd lived a full, happy life, and Billy loved that dog like his son. Diesel was his first son. Diesel taught Billy how to love again. He gave Billy the confidence to stop living in fear and he helped him learn that he didn’t have to be guilty anymore. Diesel was part of the family. Hell, Diesel was the reason they even had a family in the first place.

So when Diesel turned twelve and started showing signs of fatigue they took him to the vet. They learned that Diesel had hemangiosarcoma. A type of cancer that spread quickly. They found it in his stomach and told them that it was already too late to seek treatment. The only thing they could do was put him down. 

Diesel lived another two weeks after that. He spent it mostly laying at the foot of the bed, getting ice cream and hamburgers. They cherished every moment they got with Diesel before saying goodbye. They buried him out by the beach under a strong old tree in the back corner of their property. Everyone wept that day, even Atlas who laid under that tree for days. They mourned the loss of their beloved Diesel and spoke often of memories of him. 

Months had passed before Sam came home with a scrawny little dog held under his arm, pleading with puppy dog eyes up at his fathers.” Please! Please, can I have him! I’ll take such good care of him I promise!” Steve shakes his head, smiling just slightly as he looks over at Billy. He already knew what he was going to say. “What do you think, baby?” 

Billy grins down at his son, reaching forward to scratch the newest member of the family under the chin, smiling as the pup’s tail begins to wag. “I think… We should give the boy a dog.” 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you so much for reading this story! Writing this meant a lot to me and I really appreciate everyone who read it! Thank you so much for your support!!

**Author's Note:**

> Thanks for reading!


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